I'll be 64 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce,` and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people` who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros, and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela . Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I believe a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global` warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the` uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the " Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet as well.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my grandchildren.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate

22
comments:

I really hope this is incorrectly attributed. It would be depressing to think that this came from the mind of a person who actually served as a public official. Then again, it wouldn't be too surprising.

Most of this is garbage obviously, but I love this one section:

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

Let's walk through this: The Saudi's own oil. They sell it to us for cash. But we get to decide what they have to do with the money they get? We get to decide how they run their country, because... why? Seems to me like they have us over a barrel, in large part because conservatives have refused to acknowledge and deal with our dependence on imported oil.

And since when has their funding of madrasses and such been praised or justified as "tolerance" by anyone here in America?

And yes, I too am tired of being told one party has the corner on virtue and the other has the corner on corruption. Perhaps Mr Hall would like to help me with my wearied letter of objection to Family Values proponent David Vitter, and "Culture of Corruption" author Michelle Malkin.

Maybe if you didn't live in a world of strawmen, or didn't believe liberal boogymen were out to get you, or didn't imagine you were a perpetual victim for being part of the ruling class, or maybe if you just opened your eyes and realized you have been rewarded for your hard work as you have more than any welfare mother who "didn't earn" the money "you" paid into the system, you wouldn't be so damn tired.

Oh, and the "color TV" is once again hauled out as a luxury item, as if you can even get any other kind these days.

1) You're old. Too bad. Lots of people get old and still manage to be positive. I'm not entirely sure, but this whole retirement thing seems to reek of entitlement to me.

2) Welcome to a concept known as the Social Contract. It's been around since the 1700s. If you don't like it, move to Somalia.

3) There is nothing that us left-wingers love more than to persecute Christians.

4) Islam may not be a religion of peace, but it's hardly alone in that regard. See: Rudolph, Eric and the various abortion doctor shootings that occur each year.

5) The only people saying race doesn't matter after Obama was elected were the republicans who thought that since the American people had voted for an African-American candidate, it meant racism and discrimination were a thing of the past.

6) Too stupid to comment on

7) Old and stupid, although you must admit that a) At least Obama never quit his job as an elected official and b) Kerry was a genuine war hero.

13) Since when are air-conditioned homes and color TVs a luxury? As for poverty pimps redefining the rules of poverty, well...that's normal. Bet not even the Rockerfellers had cell phones back in the 1970s.

14) Ironic really, since 99% of what is wrong with America in your mind is government-related.

15) I don't wish ill on anybody, but damn. At this rate, the coronary is just around the corner, so I wouldn't worry about seeing too much more of the world.

I'm tired of Baby Boo-hoo-hoomers blaming their kids (and now grandkids) for everything wrong in the world, real or imagined.

Just before the housing bubble burst, there were news articles about how lazy modern college kids graduated and moved back home because they couldn't afford a $600,000 house. Now we're guilty because we tried to buy a home?

I'm almost as old as you, and I come from a working class background. I've been working since I was 11 (babysitting & house cleaning at first) and mostly put myself through college, and totally put myself through 2 grad degees. I got all of my jobs on my own. I often work longer than 40 hour weeks, plus I've had a second job most of my life. I live frugaly and save my moeny, but I'm ticked off that Republican @ssholes like you supported de-regulation out the wahzoo, so that my retirement funds are now worth less than what they should be.

Plus all those tax cuts for the super wealthy that you so adore: That ended up being you & me who had to make up the difference to keep the country running, while your wealthy "betters" got the free ride.

Get over yourself! Your whole WHINE reeks of white male entitlement. Sure: you played by the rules. So do most liberals. Big deal. In case you haven't noticed it, you conservatards were the first to sell out to the corporations, who have made "playing by the rules" a thing of the past.

Instead of using the brains that God gave you to THINK critically and make decisions, you choose to be LAZY and get your talking points from rightwing, racist radio and Fake "news," plus probably your minister who sold out a long time ago to the C Street "Family," who are nothing but fakes and rip-off scam artists.

You've chosen to BLAME others less fortunate than you for your perceive "problems," rather than question those whom you've chosen to vote into office. The democrats are now corporate sell-outs, too, I agree, but rather than blame someone like ME (admittedly a bleeding edge liberal), you would be better off to questionhappens in politics from both Republicans and Democrats.

Your "side" put Chief Justice John Roberts in office for life, and guess what?? He just sold your grandchildrens' future to your perceived dreaded Muslin "enemies," like the Saudis and Osama bin Laden. Don't blame ME for that: I was bitterly opposed to Roberts getting in, and I abhor the decision made by the brigand Activist conservative judges on the SCOTUS on 1/21/10.

Frankly I'm sick and TIRED of your ilk wasting everyone's time induling in your smug, self-absorbed whining against those less fortunate than you about whom you know abso-effen-lutely nothing.

And you say you're a Vet? Do you realize that a large portion of the homeless are your fellow Viet Nam vets? Do you give a $hit about them? When was the last time you extended a helping hand to any Vet? I do it pretty frequently, DFH liberal that I am. Or are you too busy pounding down beers at your local VFW while ignoring those returning from active duty in Iraq & Afganistan.

I'm sick and TIRED of douchebags like you complaining. You're 63 and have a good job and make good money? Open your eyes, jerk-off: over a quarter of our population don't have a job anymore, and not through any fault of their own, in spite of your efforts to put blinders on your eyes and pretend that they are welfare bludgers or whatever lies you tell yourself to make yourself feel superior to them & not face reality.

I thought the Marines had a slogan that goes: the few, the brave & the proud. Since when did the Marines adopt the slogan: the smug, the slobs & the whiners??

I'm not a huge John Wayne fan but acknowledge him as a Hollywood icon. Perhaps this retired Marine should spend the next free Saturday watching "The Green Berets" and "The Shootist." Mr. Hall should take notes and learn from the Duke what it means to be a mensch, which doesn't include victimizing yourself to those less fortunate than you & complaining endlessly about TIRED you are.

To Anon, above: I'm a boomer, but I understand why you're annoyed with complaining bogus junk like this. I hope you can understand that there are many good boomers who don't think and act this way. Many of us have been activists since forever (it seems).

I agree, though, that this kind of complaining and victimizing makes boomers look bad. I don't like it, either.

Conservatives got frightened in the 1960s at how powerful liberal ideas grew. They made it their goal to squelch liberal ideas and politics by whatever means. Sadly too many boomers got sucked into this mentality - probably not a big stretch for some.

It disgusts me, as well, because I see this type of conservative as totally selfish, unthinking, unkind, uncaring and, frankly, behaving in a boorish and stupid manner.

The cosmic disconnect and contradictory comments are also most annoying. It's also very irritating when such conservatards put out the notion that all liberals are lazy welfare bludgers who expect the gov't to take care of them, when that's not the case by any means. Most liberals just learned to share a long time ago and don't see it as a bad thing.

Forty-five years of working fifty-hour weeks and this guy doesn't have enough set aside to retire on? He's a fine one to complain about anybody else's inability to handle their finances.And if you're seriously reading dozens of stories daily about Muslims poking people's eyes out with hot pokers STOP READING ATLAS SHRUGGED.

Wow. My dad's an old white guy, grew up in southern Georgia, and is a retiree... and he's a blue-blooded democrat.

I sure am lucky.

Ironically enough, I'm also a half-Indonesian Muslim. Of course I had my genitals mutilated while killing 20 christians at my majority-Christian school. My mom used to chop her friends' heads off because they weren't Muslim, while growing up in West Java.

I love "liberals" and "republicans" ... your arguments are usually entertaining conjecture.

I am willing to bet your homework consists mainly of liberal media outlets which makes you just as guilty as republicans who base everything they argue by what they hear on FOX. However, I do not know you and am not one who makes "assumption-facts" and abases others on an anonymous forum ... because I guess I am just not that hard core.

I am neither republican nor democrat, not black or white, not christian or muslim. I am an American. I love America... if it were perfect, it would be boring.

I love that you can spend your time with signs in front of buildings to show your concerns for the future of America. I love that you can do that without fear of being shot, stabbed or beheaded. I love the entrepreneurial spirit of America. I love the rich, I love the poor. I love the people who want to make an honest living and I want to help them succeed in doing so.

What I hate is ignorance. The ignorance to publicly maim another person exercising the self-same right you use to condemn them.

Your ignorance irritates me when you ask, "[Does he] give a shit about [Veterans]?" and then refute any future argument by saying you help them "pretty frequently." (That's a terrible quantitative statement by the way.)

If you had done a simple google search, you would know the original author was a Marine who served as a radio operator at Khe Sanh during Vietnam. From that one could certainly deduce his care for servicemen.

I do not know to what degree you "pretty frequently" help veterans, but how dare you question what he has or has not done? Whether you agree with what he says or not, you have no right to assume he does not care about his fellow veterans and would rather spend time drinking beer at the local VFW. He has already done more for his fellow servicemen and women than most Americans (one assumption I can make with near 100% confidence). He served in Vietnam. He didn't serve some ideal whether right or wrong. He served his fellow serviceman, his fellow company, his fellow platoon, his fellow squad mates. When the bullets are flying on the front line, you do not fight for ideals, you fight for each other. So I don't know what your definition of "care" is, but I would argue that his actions set the bar "pretty high."

And your ability to be taken serious (which I assume you do since you stated you have 2 graduate degrees) is actually ineffectual when you use terms such as "douchebag," "jerk-off," and STFU ... all strong sentiments, but generally reserved to those with a smaller vocabulary and certainly not to those with two graduate degrees. Perhaps, this well-thought out, well-researched retort was what you were really aiming for (http://tomwdorr.blogspot.com/2010/03/democrat-responds-to-robert-halls-63.html)

In any case, as you, yourself, have requested of others, please use "the brains that God gave you to THINK critically" and refrain from perpetuating the ignorance you feign to abhor.

***Out of curiosity - what 2 graduate degrees did you earn that still require you to work 40+ hrs/week and maintain 2 jobs?

Just because someone has served doesn't automatically mean that they care about their fellow veterans. There's a high correlation to be sure, and yet many who have served will gladly turn around and go along with policies which hurt veterans, knowingly or unknowingly.

Where exactly did ferschitz question whether or not this guy had served? He asked a legitimate question about this guys beliefs and how they relate to veterans affairs. Unfortunately we've all witnessed for far too long how the Republican party talks a good game about veterans and then turns around and pinches pennies when it comes to the VA, homeless care, and other benefits. Out of sight, out of mind I suppose.

Not to mention their nasty little habit of insulting the service and war records of political opponents who actually served honorably. And of course, the little fact about starting a huge, unnecessary and illegal war, sending our troops to die and be maimed by the thousands. Really shows how much they value the troops.

As for ferschitz's 40+ hour work week, do you think advanced education is a lottery ticket? Hardly. Its training for a career, most of which require that you do thinks like (gasp!) work a normal work week.

John McCain served honorably. No question about that. And yet who was the leader of the opposition to the badly needed modernization of the GI Bill?

John Kerry served honorably. Combat, bullets flying, all that. And yet Republicans were all to happy, giddy even, to swift boat him with lies upon lies.

John Murtha served honorably, almost 40 decades in the Marines. A fellow congressperson, a Republican, called him a coward on the House Floor. Why? Because he had the audacity to want to bring our troops home from an rat hole that they had been sent down by W and his chickenhawk friends.

Colin Powell served honorably. The minute he stopped towing the Republican party line, they threw him under the bus.

Anonymous 1:"Just because someone has served doesn't automatically mean that they care about their fellow veterans... "--Certainly that is true, perhaps I was unclear in my explanation. The point I was trying to illustrate was that fersch insinuated Mr Hall did not care about veterans. (An unfounded attack, I might add) Anyone who has served in any war cared very much for their brothers and sisters in arms.

"Where exactly did ferschitz question whether or not this guy had served?"--fersch did not question Hall's service. Again, my point was intended to show that Mr Hall's service demonstrated what he has done for veterans. Maybe a better analogy would be to say a teacher no longer loves children because they are retired and no longer teach. Is this true? In some cases, probably, but I won't see a retired teacher and ask, "What have you done for the 6th grade lately?" And certainly not if they choose to criticize the local school system.

"He asked a legitimate question..." -- I have to argue that point. A legitimate question seeks an answer without using unfounded suppositions such as Fersch has with the following:"Do you give a $hit about [veterans]? When was the last time you extended a helping hand to any Vet?"

That question subtly implies one of three things:1 - Most simplistic, it is a question with an unknown answer.2 - the question is posed with an answer in mind - meaning fersch already knows the answer to the question before asking. The audience can assume fersch knows Hall and knows that he does nothing for veterans.3 - similar to #1, the answer is not known, but fersch depicts a picture to its subsequent readers that leaves a lasting impression - or at a bare minimum, the framework of doubt when there is foundation for neither doubt nor conviction.

However, we can safely assume fersch is following option 2 or 3 since the follow up question is:"Or are you too busy pounding down beers at your local VFW while ignoring those returning from active duty in Iraq & Afganistan." (continuing to draw the reader's thoughts to a certain conclusion)

"Unfortunately we've all witnessed for far too long how the Republican party... Really shows how much they value the troops." --This is exactly one of the points of my initial post. In fact, I think that's how I opened. At what point did I suggest, explicitly or implicitly, I was supporting/denouncing any party lines? I merely state that fersch implies Hall does not care for veterans and that was not acceptable without some basis. No more. No less. But again, as illustrated in your statement, liberals and republicans alike want to draw a line in the sand and point fingers. Neither side accepts responsibility, and everything wrong with America is the result of policies enacted by the other party.

"As for ferschitz's 40+ hour work week, do you think advanced education is a lottery ticket? Its training for a career, most of which require that you do thinks like (gasp!) work a normal work week."

--That is a bit of an ironic statement ... since lotteries are often used to fund educational institutions. But, my legitimate question was posed to see who goes to school for an undergrad, works their way to through a master's and then tortures one's self w/ a PhD or a second master's(?) only to have to work 40+ hours per week which is over a "normal" work week and more importantly, what you FAILED to mention, 2 jobs. I was perplexed by all this. (I mean, think about all the money fersche could have made during the 2 grad degrees and the debt impact.) Being the critically thinking liberal fersch claims to be, I just wanted to try to understand the critical thought process into that.

I, too, work 40+ hours on only one job … but all I had to do was get my undergrad to do that. ... I oversimplify and jest only because it appears you were, ANONYMOUS.

"John McCain served honorably. No question about that. And yet who was the leader of the opposition to the badly needed modernization of the GI Bill?"

-- I assume your argument here is to show that a veteran can serve honorably yet still not care for his fellow brother in arms by comparing Mr Hall to Sen. John McCain? So Sen McCain doesn't care for veterans because he opposed the overhaul to the post 9-11 GI Bill; hence, it is possible that Mr Hall could potentially not care for veterans as well? Do you know why Sen McCain opposed the overhaul ... because he doesn't care forveterans? I guess I am slow, I don't get it.

-- Here we go with party lines again. My comment has nothing to do with party lines; who's lying, who's evil, who's right, who's wrong. If that wasn't clear before, then I apologize. But seriously, you want to support your argument with John Kerry? I would think there are many better examples.

"John Murtha served honorably, almost 40 decades in the Marines. A fellow congressperson, a Republican, called him a coward on the House Floor."

-- 40 decades is a long time. Even the Grand Old Man (Archibald Henderson only served the USMC for 53 years).The actual statement was "Cowards cut and run, Marines never do." That is actually a moto (short for motivational) statement. If you understood devildog, you and everyone else would know that. Also, he might be an awesome example of a veteran having served but not caring (or at least being in tune with) the troops.

"I'm sure there are other examples."-- I am sure there are, ANONYMOUS. But they span both parties.

______________________________Since everyone insists on dragging politics into my post, I will part with my political view:

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